The Declutter Quicklist: 15 Minutes to a Safer Clutter Free Home

Posted by Sarah Bown on June 11, 2018 at 8:11 AM

A hazard free home is a decluttered home. Keeping your home clear and clutter free could be a small task you do daily. As you age, decluttering can be a great way to reduce fall risks and maintain your independence.

In honor of National Safety Month, we have a list of ways you can declutter in 15 minutes or less to keep your home safe for yourself and those you love.

Designate a basket or bin for mail.

Use a basket in a convenient area to hold your recent mail. Clear the container once a week to stay clutter free.

Clear outdated and rarely used spices from the spice rack or cabinet.

This is definitely a task many of us forget to do. Whether it’s been years or months, you find you have extra space after those spices are removed.

Clear the medicine cabinet of expired or irrelevant prescriptions.

Look online or as friends for recommendations on safe outlets for your outdated medications and over the counter products. Most police stations and pharmacies sponsor “take-back” programs.

Clear the counter of rarely used appliances.

Appliances tend to take up large amounts of space. One way to quickly give any space a facelift is clearing the counters by removing appliances that are rarely used to remove clutter.

Recycle newspapers or catalogs that are more than a month old.

Make a habit of removing old newspapers and magazines from display. With newspapers try removing them weekly. Magazines can be recycled and replenished once a month.

Inventory and discard old makeup.

According to Reader’s Digest, you should discard mascara after three months and products with SPF after six. While any other makeup products typically have a one-year expiration. Another war to determine when to throw these products away is by paying attention to when they change consistency, color, or scent. Writer's at Reader's Digest also suggest you should put, "the date on a product when you open it so you don’t forget." Learn more about when to toss out these 12 beauty products.

Many times we are touched by greeting cards people give us for birthdays, holidays or many of life’s milestones. You can use these cards in a scrapbook, memory book/box or album as a keepsake if you are not ready to discard the card. If you don’t plan to use it it’s best to throw the cards away.